The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Counties Manukau Health, Auckland, New Zealand.
BMC Med Educ. 2022 Jun 7;22(1):436. doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03508-2.
Health professionals in training may be overwhelmed by the emotional dimensions of their work. Balint groups have been proposed as an intervention to support students to process emotional aspects their encounters with patients. The aim of this study was to explore medical students' emotional experiences of a Balint group during their psychiatry attachment.
Medical students completing a six week clinical attachment in psychiatry took part in weekly Balint group sessions. Five sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed and coded by members of the research team and an independent researcher co-coded all transcripts. Themes were discussed and refined over three rounds of coding.
Four themes were identified: the Balint process as a container to enable vulnerability; becoming attuned to clinical and professional encounters; an evolving sense of identity within the medical hierarchy; and, the need for self-preservation to retain empathy for others.
The Balint structure provides medical students with a secure and emotionally resonant experience. Medical students' engagement with the Balint process, even over a relatively short time period, teaches them how to reflect on difficult emotions associated with clinical encounters. Early exposure during a psychiatry placement may benefit students in terms of understanding relationship dynamics and the need for self-integration and lifelong reflection over the course of their medical career.
处于培训阶段的健康专业人员可能会被工作中的情绪层面所压垮。巴林特小组已被提议作为一种干预措施，以支持学生处理他们与患者接触时的情绪方面。本研究的目的是探讨医学生在精神病学实习期间参加巴林特小组的情绪体验。
完成六周精神病学临床实习的医学生参加了每周一次的巴林特小组会议。五次会议被录音、转录和研究团队成员以及一位独立研究人员共同编码。主题经过三轮编码进行讨论和完善。
确定了四个主题：巴林特小组作为一个容器，使人们能够变得脆弱；对临床和专业接触变得敏感；在医疗等级制度中逐渐形成认同感；以及需要自我保护以保持对他人的同理心。
巴林特小组结构为医学生提供了一个安全且情感共鸣的体验。医学生参与巴林特小组的过程，即使是在相对较短的时间内，也能教会他们如何反思与临床接触相关的困难情绪。在精神病学实习期间尽早接触可能会使学生在理解关系动态以及自我整合和终身反思的需求方面受益，贯穿整个医学职业生涯。
